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Lions - Simba’s name actually comes from the Swahili word for "lion," and you can see Scar, Mufasa, Nala, Sarabi, and Sarafina in Africa too. Each of the characters demonstrate different but real traits of Africa's biggest cat: loving, loyal, fierce, lazy, and occasionally loathsome.

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Lions - Kenya’s Masai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti share an ecosystem which is one of the most iconic settings to spot lions in their natural and ancestral state.

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Lions - East Africa's vast savannas dotted with picturesque acacia trees is the quintessential safari location, and the Serengeti region's rocky outcrops look like they're straight from the movie.

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Lions - Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta in Botswana are two other great locations to follow lions in a live action you won't get in theaters.

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Lions - If seeing Nala on a drive-by isn't close enough, South Luangwa National Park in Zambia offers guided walking safaris that put you on level footing with the pride.

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Warthogs - Pumbaa's name aptly translates to “silly” or “foolish” in Swahili. His species was once considered one of the "Ugly Five" in the safari world, but Pumbaa's humor transformed the world's perception of the warthog.

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Warthogs - The species itself is naturally funny, as they get spooked easily and shoot their tails skyward as they dash away. Not very "Hakuna Matata," if you ask us.

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Warthogs - What's especially endearing about them is their eating stance. Their long legs and short necks required them to evolve with pads on their front knees, allowing them to kneel and graze.

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Warthogs - Warthogs are widely distributed across the continent, but popular spots include eastern South Africa, northern Namibia, northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and southern Kenya.

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Warthogs - Fascinatingly, warthogs are the only pigs who can live in areas without water for several months of the year.

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Meerkats - Timon is one of the very few animal characters to portray a gay sensibility, but what are meerkats really like?

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Meerkats - In the wild, meerkats do not hang out with warthogs. Instead, they reside within complex networks of underground tunnels in desert regions of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

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Meerkats - They live in large family groups of up to 50 members, and dine on whatever they can, as some forage while others remain on watch for any predators.

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Meerkats - You can visit groups of habituated meerkats within Ntwetwe Pan in the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan region of Botswana.

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Meerkats - Many wild meerkats in Botswana are not afraid of humans, and may actually climb up on top of your head, using you as a vantage point to keep a better lookout for danger.

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Mandrills - The wise and hilariously ruthless Rafiki, whose name means "friend" in Swahili, is a mandrill.

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Mandrills - The mandrill is the largest kind of monkey, and it's also one of the most brightly colored.

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Mandrills - Unlike the attention-grabbing Rafiki, mandrills are typically reclusive and shy, found mostly in the equatorial rain forests of central Africa.

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Mandrills - They also typically do not hang out with lions, but rather hang out in groups called "hordes." You're most likely to see one in Lopé National Park in Gabon.

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Mandrills - Mandrills also thrive in Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea, and their distribution is heavily influenced by three rivers bordering their ecosystem: River Sanaga, Ogooue River, and White River.

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Spotted hyenas - Scar’s henchmen, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, were reportedly supposed to be African wild dogs, but were changed to spotted hyenas because of the species' rivalry with lions on the East African plains.

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Spotted hyenas - Female spotted hyenas often outweigh the males and play a more dominant role in their large clans. They're also skilled hunters, known to take down larger animals like wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes.

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Spotted hyenas - These laughing creatures also have some of the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom, and they're notorious for eating even the bones of their prey.

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Spotted hyenas - There are more than 7,000 spotted hyena in Serengeti National Park alone, which make it a fantastic place to see them.

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Spotted hyenas - As this species is primarily nocturnal, your best best it seeing them at the crack of dawn. You could also see them at one of the three main waterholes at Namibia’s Etosha National Park, which are floodlit and open to visitors throughout the night.

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Red-billed hornbills - Last but not least is the uptight, dutiful Zazu.

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Red-billed hornbills - The red-billed hornbill is known for its swooping flight pattern, long curved beak, and unique nesting pattern.

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Red-billed hornbills - The female will lay up to six eggs in a tree hole, then she'll seal herself inside for the duration of the incubation using a mixture of mud, fruit pulp, and droppings. Only a small hole is left for the male to bring food.

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Red-billed hornbills - There are many different kinds of red-billed hornbill, and they collectively cover most of the woodlands and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. This bird was a great selection for the all-spying Zazu.

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See also: -

Children's movies that are just as entertaining for adults

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